FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contacts
[email protected]
410-576-7009
BALTIMORE, MD — Attorney General Anthony G. Brown today issued the following statement after the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland granted the State’s motion for preliminary injunction that would halt DHS construction and operation of an unlawful ICE detention facility in Washington County, Maryland.
“Prior to our lawsuit, DHS and ICE were moving rapidly to construct a large immigration detention facility near Williamsport. Even their legal obligations under federal law did not slow these efforts, as they continued a lawless pursuit to detain as many immigrants as possible.
But no one, not even the federal government, is above the law. Today, the Court largely granted our request for a preliminary injunction, ensuring that DHS and ICE cannot convert and operate this warehouse into an immigration detention facility while our lawsuit plays out, allowing only limited activity to security and repair work solely to protect the integrity of the building. Today’s preliminary injunction is a major victory that stops federal authorities from irreversibly damaging our waterways, our environment, and our communities before our lawsuit is even decided. And it ensures that the federal government cannot rush through the legal process required to open this facility in its frenzy to carry out its deportation goals.
Our Office will always protect Marylanders and their communities from the actions of those who treat our laws like suggestions.”
On February 23, 2026, Attorney General Brown filed a lawsuit against DHS and ICE challenging the purchase and planned conversion of a warehouse near Williamsport, Maryland in violation of federal administrative and environmental law. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) on March 11, immediately pausing any construction or retrofitting of the warehouse, which was extended through April 16. On March 19, Attorney General Brown filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from converting the warehouse into a mass immigration detention facility. Today’s Court Order stops the construction and operation of the warehouse while the case proceeds and allows for limited measures related to the security and integrity of the building.
###